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Tim and Lucy rode in silence, the tension thick in the truck. Tim was dreading the dinner with Lucy’s parents. In the days leading up to tonight, Lucy had been in a panic driven state, manic cleaning, talking non-stop, crying herself to sleep. Tim offered to come up with other plans so she wouldn’t have to sit through two hours of torture with her parents.
Her parents do not approve of her career in law enforcement. They have put her down, and drug her through the mud, forcefully wanting her to pursue a different career choice, but Lucy has remained tough, and refused to give in to her mothers malicious attempts.
They were ten minutes away when Lucy breaks down into tears. Seeing Lucy this emotional over her parents breaks Tim’s heart into a million pieces. “Lucy. We can cancel we do not have to do this.” He calmly assures her as he brushes a stray piece of hair stuck to her tear streaked face.
Lucy’s head in the palm of her hands sobbing uncontrollably. Tim does his best to comfort her while driving through rush hour traffic in Los Angeles. Lucy’s body shaking, as she wails. “I can’t do this Tim. Pull over!” Her voice loud with urgency. Before he is able to get off onto the shoulder she is opening the door and unbuckling her seat belt all in one fluid motion. Tim quickly comes to a stop so she don’t get hurt exiting the vehicle.
The truck barely comes to a half when Lucy is already out of the truck holding onto the guard rail where her body violently projectile vomits the contents of her stomach into the grass. Tim rushes over to her grabbing her hair to keep it out of her way. “It’s okay baby, let it all out.. it will be okay. We don’t have to go we will turn around and drive for miles until you are calmed down.”
“No, we are going. I am going to show my mother just how happy we are and DARE her to say anything negative about me, or my relationship. If and WHEN she does we are out. I will NEVER step foot back in her door again.”
“Baby. Don’t you think that is a bit harsh?” The statement exits his mouth before he had time to filter it. The look on Lucy’s face goes from anxiousness to ‘I-can’t-believe-you-just-said-that’ Lucy starts to retreat away from Tim. He takes once step closer to her “leave me alone” she growls. “You know what they put me through! You know how they made me feel! The words that spill out of her mouth about the choices I MADE! They hurt Tim!” She begins to incessantly sob as she collapses to the ground not caring that she is laying in dirt from who knows where.
Tim walks over to her, kneeling in front of her. He raises her head up to look into his eyes. “Lucy, I know how you feel, my parents weren’t exactly great either. Well my dad wasn’t. My mom is wonderful- you know that. She helped build me into the person I am today. But, we can’t let our feelings control how we react to things. We have to rise above and conquer. I had no malice with what I said.” Trying his best to comfort her, his large hand gently rubbing her back as she tries her hardest to slow her breathing down.
Behind them they hear the sound of gravel underneath tires. Tim looks over his shoulder to see a police car pulling off the side of the road. He reaches into his pocket to get his badge out.
Once the car comes to a stop, a familiar muscular, man gets out of the shop. Sergeant Gray.
“You two okay?”
Lucy looked up with a tear stained face, wiping the tears away she finally spoke “Sir, we are okay, I, uh, we, uh-“ she couldn’t formulate her thoughts so Tim speaks up “we were headed to her parents for dinner and she experienced a panic attack.” He glances at her frail anxiety ridden body. “I am going to take her home.”
With a quickness Tim had only seen in horror movies, Lucy turned her head to look up at him, eyes as angry as a mother bear whose cubs were kidnapped, and with indignation in her voice, “NO, we are NOT going home, we are going to my mothers and I am going to put on the best attitude I have and show her that I am happy with my life and tell her to keep her nose out of my, I mean, our, business.”
She all but growled in his direction. Tim raises his hands up in surrender as he slowly backs away. Lucy is a force not to be reckoned with when angry.
Sergeant Gray smiles at Lucy’s audacity, he always knew she was a fire cracker. Tim is a very strong man. He nods his head at the couple as he walks back to his shop. “You two be careful I am going home now. Call if you need backup.” Chuckling as he winks at Tim as he proceeds to get into the drivers seat and merge back into traffic. Tim begins to walk back to the truck.
Lucy storms over to the truck and violently slings the door open and gets into the passenger seat “Drive” she says sternly towards the drivers seat where Tim is sitting defenseless and quiet. “Yes, ma’am” he replies as he merges onto the road. Lucy is quiet the rest of the way to her parents house in sheer preparation for the theatrics that are about to happen when they step foot into their house.
Tim does not know what awaits them when he pulls into their drive way. The porch light is on, and there is a ‘Welcome’ sign beside the door. “Huh. I wonder how true that is?” Lucy utters, pointing towards the sign, disdain dripping out of her mouth for her parents. Looking towards Tim making eye contact with each other, both parties take a deep breath before exiting the vehicle. Reaching for the others hand knowing that the other is their support system. They are at the door: hesitant to face the unknown. Facing the unknown is their career, but right now they are approaching it with the utmost respect and care for fear that it will devour them and spit out the remains. Tim reaches out his hand to knock on the red door, with a wreath that says ‘welcome’.
“For people who have made my life a living hell sure have the saying ‘welcome’ around a lot.” Lucy mutters.
“Maybe they are trying, Lucy.” He replies with the most care in his words.
“Whose side are you on, Bradford?” She spits out. Almost immediately she realized just how harsh that sounded towards him, the man who is by her side no matter the circumstance. “I am sorry, TIm. I am so stressed out it is controlling everything I feel like I am spiraling. I want to leave.”
“Are you sure baby?”
“Yes, I am sure. I can’t do this today. I don’t know if I will ever be ready to face them.”
“Okay, it is up to you and I support you no matter what it is.”
Lucy breaks down into tears giving into her anxiety and letting it all come out. She will be new once it flows through her. All Tim could do is hold her as they make the short trip back to the truck.
The drive back to their house is a quiet one, except for the spurts of sobbing coming from the passenger seat. The sad silence was interrupted by Lucy’s cell phone ringing.
“Ignore it” Tim encourages.
“It’s them…probably wondering when we are coming.”
“Or why we left.” Tim interjected. The phone continues to ring. Lucy takes a big inhale.
“I am going to answer it, Tim.” Her voice shakes.
“Whatever you think you need to do sweetheart. I am right here.” He reaches over and grabs her hand. Gently caressing her hand with his thumb. He decides to pull off the road while Lucy takes the phone call.
Sliding the button over to answer the call, she hits speaker, in case Tim needs to come to her rescue.
“Hello” Lucy strongly answers, but Tim can tell she is anything, but, at the present time.
“LUCY!” A short, irritated voice booms out of the phones speakers.
Tim senses Lucy’s demeanor shift from a scared little girl to a fearless lion preparing to fight.
Her mother is irate. Yelling and playing the victim. Accusing Lucy of being the laughing stock of the family. The “family blood will stop with you!’ is uttered from that woman’s mouth.
More hurtful words are spewing out of her mouth, Tim zones out while trying not to jump into the conversation and tell her to go to hell.
“You have always been so difficult, Lucy, you’re a disgrace, you and your profession! I wish you’d change and see the light. That you have so much to offer other than putting yourself in harm every day saving ungrateful people. Come home. Meet a nice man. Settle down. Have kids. I am old Lucy, let me enjoy what few years I have left with you and your nice, educated, husband and your children.”
Tim’s blood begins to boil over. He is about to say something to defend Lucy when she sits up straight in the truck’s seat, brushes her hair off her lips, takes a deep breath before unleashing every pent up frustration, every deep seated fear, and every ounce of strength she has to finally stand up to her mother.
“Mother, I am going to stop you right there. I AM doing what I love whether you like my career choice or not. I have only ever been difficult when you wanted me to live in your cookie cutter life style and you know that, isn’t me! I chose being an officer of the law because I wanted to HELP people, not all are ungrateful. Besides that point is moot. I don’t care if I disgrace you, or embarrass you, or don’t fit your expectations on ‘the perfect daughter’. I go to bed every night with the man that I love-Tim Bradford. If you don’t like or approve I don’t fucking care anymore. Tonight is the last night that you will talk to me—until I can get an apology and acceptance for who I am and what I do. I have been to hell and back with you and I refuse to do it anymore. I HAVE met a nice, educated, man who loves me for who I am!”
Tim finally pipes up “For the record Mrs. Chen… your daughter is one of the best officers I have witnessed in my twelve years on the force. I love her, and I am sorry that you are not going to be able to witness her become a wife and mother. It is YOUR loss and MY gain.”
The woman was too stunned to say anything that makes any since. Lucy looks up at Tim with tears welling up in her eyes and a smile on her face.
With relief in her voice she replies to the woman “Good bye mother” and hangs up the phone. With the push of a button Lucy has closed a chapter of her life that she does not care to answer again. Her relationship with her parents has always been difficult, and it wasn’t until she met Tim that she realized what life could be that she began to see her parents in a different light.
The couple drove home in a quiet surrender. Lucy’s hand wrapped up in Tim’s large hand, her feet tucked up under her in the seat. Staring at the man of her dream’s profile as he drives her home.
They end the night cuddled up on the couch watching mindless tv, while each of them have the whole world in their arms, for in just a couple hours they had been to hell and back.